8 Best Indoor Drones

The drone phenomenon is here to stay, especially camera quadcopters. These capable flying robots appeal to people from all walks of life and age ranges, even toddlers. The good news is that we have drones for every purpose, person, and situation. This guide looks at 7 indoor drones. These are all model quadcopters (four rotors, four motors) that can fly safely around the home.

The Advantages of Indoor Drones

Some toy-grade quads are super lightweight and tiny. The makers categorize these as micro and nano drones. Most are small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of a hand. Their tiny size and lightweight means they’re easy to lose outdoors, though. Most of them are useless in anything above a strong breeze too. It’s for these reasons they are better suited to flying inside.

Parents of younger children often prefer the indoor environment so they can keep an eye on their kids. Nano and micro quads also provide interactive fun for parent and child.

Flying quadcopters indoors has other appeals. Some multirotor pilots like to maintain their flying skills during the winter months. Alas, it can be far too cold or wet to fly outside in some regions. Bad weather can interfere with delicate electronics, battery efficiency, and mechanical parts. So, drone enthusiasts can fly toy-grade quads indoors and even some hobby-grade models if they have space.

The Disadvantages of Indoor Drones

Flying drones indoors has a few downsides. Some of these tiny models can be annoyingly loud for one. And watch out for pet dogs and cats that may view them as chewable playthings. There’s also potential interference from other household electronics that use Bluetooth and WiFi. Home spaces are more confined than outdoors too, and thus have more obstacles to crash into.

Space limitation is why mini drones are the best choices. Young and untested pilots shouldn’t fly anything bigger than these tiny models. Professionals fly drones indoors for other reasons like filming historic buildings, real estate, and advertising, etc. That’s nothing for this guide, though.

What Makes an Ideal Indoor Drone

Some indoor drones are cheap and flimsy. Others cost more but are sturdy and long lasting. Well, it’s a long time cold in some countries. Therefore, it’s a good idea to skip the ultra-cheap rubbish if you want the flying fun to last till summer. There are affordable models robust enough to stand up to those inevitable mild crashes and collisions.

Here are a few points to consider before buying any indoor-capable drone:

Miniature quadcopters (micro/nano) are the safest choice

USB charging time of one hour or less

Replaceable batteries: lets you continue the fun

Has internal gyroscope for stableflying

Propeller guards for added safety and damage protection

Capable of flying outdoors as well

Most drone enthusiasts prefer to fly their crafts outdoors when possible. Even the tiniest models are okay if there’s no wind or places to get lost if they crash land. There are many stories of small quadcopters falling into long grass, lost forever. Take heed. Some of the larger small models in this guide are well suited for outdoor fun.

About My Guide

This guide is simple to read and doesn’t contain any fluff or unnecessary lingo. The seven mini-reviews are the result of expert opinions, personal assessment, and buyer’s reviews. The top three indoor drones are Best Budget, Best Value, and Top Pick in that order. I also include a basic three-column table at the end of each review. These tables show the main specs, pros, and cons of each model.

1. Furibee Mini RC Indoor Quadcopter F36

Furibee’s Mini quadcopter is a fun toy-grade drone to fly indoors. It has a 6-axis gyro to keep the craft nice and steady. The four propeller guards make it safe for users and protect the fragileblades.

Furibee’s Mini RC quad is an excellent little drone to fly indoors and to learn piloting skills. Its mini UFO design makes it easy to slip into a pocket and take anywhere. Don’t worry about those inevitable mild crashes and collisions either. Seriously, the F36 can withstand plenty of learner mishaps.

Flying the Furibee Mini F36

Indoor drones must be easy to fly or there’d be havoc in the home. This beauty lacks some of the beginner-friendly features found on other models, but it has all the basics. There’s a headless mode, a one-key auto return feature, and a 3D rollover function. The wing guards protect small hands from contacting the blades and save the props from breaking on impact. The colorful LED lights are fun too.

The 6-axis gyroscope does an excellent job at stabilizing the quad during flight. The company says it’s effective in strong winds too, but I say ignore that claim. It’s a lightweight toy primarily for indoor fun.

The Not So Good

Flying time is not good at 5–6 minutes max. It’s typical for tiny quads but no less disappointing. The charging time is okay and takes between 30–50 minutes depending on the power source. The Furibee Mini F36 is a simple drone but some new users still need guidance. Unfortunately, there are complaints that the user manual is too vague. Look for YouTube tutorials if you opt for this model.

These two fighting drones are heaps of fun for kids and adults alike. The way they work is by shooting with the quad’s infrared beams. The winner is whoever gets four direct hits first, and the losing craft then auto falls to a soft landing. These battle games are also an excellent way to develop piloting skills. The 6-axis gyro keeps the HS177s steady but doesn’t interfere with their agility.

Flying the Holy Stone HS177 Indoor Battle Drones

Air battles take more skills than basic flying, but users soon get used to handling their quads. The headless mode means pilots don’t have to worry about orientation as they fly into position. The low, medium, and high speed choices make them perfect drones for all levels. The models come with soft, flexible prop guards that add to the crash-resistance of these tiny robots.

Fighter pilots can take the battle outside in fair weather too. The latitude hold function makes outdoor flying easier. You can even battle in the dark with the bright LED lights keeping the game alive. Other cool features worth a mention include the low power alert, emergency stop, and 1-key takeoff/landing.

The Not So Good

The battery life is unsatisfactory like so many of these toy-grade drones. The Holy Stone HS177 is lucky to get 7-minutes in a battle situation, so spare batteries are essential. Charging time is around 60–90 minutes. There are a few complaints about how fiddly it is to plug the batteries into the charger. They’re right too. The trick is to connect the battery before placing it into the drone’s body.

Tech Specs

Dimensions: 4.9 x 4.9 x 1.6″

Product Weight: 15.8 oz.

Prop guards: Soft, flexible protectors

Gyroscope: 6-axis built-in

Onboard camera: No

Battery: 3.7V 250mAh Li-Po

Max flight time: 9 minutes

Charging time: 60–90 minutes

The Pros

Two flying battle quadcopters

Indoor/outdoor capable

Headless mode

Flexible prop guards

6-axis gyro

3 speed modes

Altitude hold

Bright LEDs

The Cons

Short battery life

Fiddly battery access

3. Altair #AA108 Indoor/Outdoor Camera Quad

The Altair #AA108 is a First Person View (FPV) camera drone. It’s small, but it’s not as tiny as nano or micro quads. It’s still a capable indoor model, and it also flies well outdoors in winds of 10mph or less.

My top pick is an indoor/outdoor 720p HD FPV camera drone. Its 120-degree wide-angle lens can capture incredible stills and video from above. Pilots get to see what the lens sees direct to their smartphone screen. The Altair #AA108 is also a brilliant indoor flyer and super easy to control at the entry-level. It has a robust build, protective prop guards, and a 6-axis gyro to steady the flights.

Flying the Altair #AA108 Camera Quad

Advance pilots have plenty to enjoy with the Altair #AA108, but it’s a superb novice model as well. Beginner-friendly features include headless mode, one-button takeoff/landing, and altitude hold. There’s also an option to draw custom routes from a smartphone. The drone then flies along its custom flight line. It’s a great feature if you want to concentrate more on the camera and less on the flying.

New users can take advantage of the Beginner, Mid, and Advanced skill level switch as they progress. And the Out of Range and Low Battery Alarms make sure you keep your craft safe and within reach.

The Not So Good

Altair’s #AA108 camera quad doesn’t escape the frustrating short flight time (battery life). The company claims ten minutes, but many users suggest closer to eight. The drone does come with a bonus battery though. An extra battery is welcome and not something all tiny quad makers provide. The distance range states 100M, but again this seems overly optimistic during my test flights.

Worth noting is that drone makers set range predictions in ideal conditions with little interference. A reduced range is more evident in built-up urban areas than it is in wide open spaces.

Flying the Cheerwing Syma X20

The Cheerwing Syma X20 sports a host of features that make flying easier for novice pilots. It’s a stable little quad with a headless mode for seamless flying. One-key takeoff and landing is child’s play—literally. And the one-touchdown feature is invaluable as it lets users safely bring the drone down. Pilots can activate one-touchdown at any time such as low battery or in a panic situation.

Headless mode is another beginner-friendly attribute as is altitude hold. Even fancy flips are simple using the one-key 360° roll feature. Flying in the dark is also doable thanks to the bright LED lights.

The Not So Good

There are two significant disadvantages to the Cheerwing Syma X20. The first is the terrible 5-minute flight time, and that’s in ideal conditions. The second disappointment is the non-removable battery. That means you must wait the 50-minute charging time before you can take to the sky again. It’s still a fantastic little pocket quad for anyone who doesn’t care too much about the short flights.

Minus points: Short battery life, no headless mode, prop guards not included

The 4CH X4 Mini palm-sized quadcopter sells well, and that alone tells us plenty. It’s ideally an indoor drone, but it can fly well outdoors when there’s no wind.

Flying the Hubsan X4 H107L

The X4 has noticeable powerful coreless motors compared to others drones in its class. A 6-axis flight control system includes adjustable gyro sensitivity to help keep the craft stable. There are two user modes to choose from depending on your level, mode1 and mode2. The pliable pads help with softer landings, and the bright LEDs make flying in the dark fun and safe.

Beginner mode is the sensible choice for indoor flying even if you’re a skilled pilot. Expert mode has a bit too much oomph for the living room. It’s fast too, and that makes it better suited to outdoors on a still day. It’s nice to have the choice though. And the anti-flip function gives speed enthusiasts more confidence when flying fast outdoors.

The Not So Good

The flying time is around 9-minutes. That’s more than some palm-sized quads, but it still means short-lived fun. There’s only one battery in the box so consider spares if you buy this model. Note that the drone doesn’t have a headless mode. That’s not essential, but a headless feature is a great help to learners. The final gripe is that there are no blade guards included, but they’re cheap to buy.

Remoking’s R820 RC drone packs a lot of power for a small quad. It has ultra-responsive motors and effective throttle control. Another welcome feature is the longer 12-minute flying time.

Flying the Remoking R820 RC

The R820 quadcopter is a solid choice for kids eight years and up, or younger under supervision. The headless mode lets pilots focus on flying the quad without worrying about orientation. The 6-axis gyro keeps the lightweight craft steady in the air so that it’s easier to control. Other user-friendly flight features include the one-button takeoff/landing, and altitude hold function.

Impressive 3D rolls and flips look difficult, but all you do is push a button and voilà. Charging time is around 45-minutes, so there’s only a short wait between flying fun.

The Not So Good

This quadcopter is not nano or micro-sized, and that makes it more challenging to fly in tight spaces. It’s easy to operate with little experience but consider a tinier model if you only have a small area. It doesn’t fly too well in winds above 10mph either, despite its bigger size.

Spacekey’s affordable drone is a beautiful quad that packs plenty of advanced features. Best of all is its affordable price tag for a First Person View (FPV) quad. The camera’s 120° wide-angle lens gets plenty into the frame from panoramas to close-ups. Okay, so the footage isn’t spectacular in this price category. Even so, the aerial photos and video are more than pleasing for users new to camera drones.

Flying the DC-014 Foldable Camera Drone

The small size and foldable structure of this handsome quadcopter make it super portable. Take it with you on vacation, to parties, or any other events that you want to record. It’s a great little beginner quad that has safe simplistic flying options. There are also some cool LED lights to help navigate the craft in the dark. The DC-014 comes with three handy speed modes, low/med/high.

Speed control lets new users progress at their own time at a pace they’re comfortable with. Other beginner-friendly features include one-key take-off& landing, headless mode, and altitude hold. The four propeller guards keep fingers out of harm’s way and protect the quad against mishaps.

Pilots can control the DC-014 FPV quad using any regular smartphone and the company app. That puts all the above flight controls at your fingertips, including fancy 360° flips & rolls.

The Not So Good

Flight time is a lame 7–8 minutes at best. Spacekey advertises the DC-014 drone as an excellent outdoor quad as well as a capable indoor flyer. It does fly well outside but only if there’s no wind. All these tiny, lightweight quads suffer the same setback—some worse than others. People who don’t heed this warning are the ones who lose their beloved quads in a sudden gust.

The most important thing with any camera quad is how well it flies and performs its functions. People also buy on appearance, though looks should always be secondary over ability. This beauty certainly has an eye-catching BLING effect. The brilliant red metallic finish and multi-colored LED lights are striking. It certainly looks the part, but how well does this showy drone perform?

QCopter’s HD Wi-Fi 1080P FPV Camera isn’t overly impressive on the quality front. The fixed average camera still gives first-time flyers a smooth introduction to aerial photography and videography. There’s also the First Person View (FPV) for watching live-stream footage on a smartphone screen.

Flying the QCopter QC1 Camera Drone

The remote controller has a smartphone clamp for flying with app control and viewing FPV. The quad has gyrocopters and altitude hold to stabilize it during flight. Novice pilots who fly outdoors welcome the return-to-home feature. The long runtime takes away the short-flight frustrations of other drones. Video and stills footage saves to a MicroSD card for easy transfer and sharing.

The Not So Good

QCopter lacks some features found on rival drones, but it still offers excellent value. Fewer features also means there’s less to worry about or go wrong. The biggest gripe with this drone is the long 2-hour battery charging time. It’s just as well it comes with a bonus battery, but you may also want to buy a third. The other shared complaint is the poorly written or translated user manual.

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